Obama visits troops in Hawaii

12/25/12 10:48 PM EST

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama interrupted their vacation Tuesday to pay a Christmas Day visit to U.S. troops and their families at a military base in Hawaii.

The Obamas' visit to Anderson Hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii was not on his official public schedule, but it did not appear to come as a surprise to those on the base. One patron told a pool reporter that a substantial line built up in anticipation of the president's visit. (It's the fifth year in a row Obama has dropped in on Christmas diners at this particular mess hall.)

"Obviously, we’re still in a wartime footing," President Obama told the servicemembers, some of whom were having a Christmas meal and others who had finished or may just have been eager for a photo with the president and first lady.

"There are still folks, as we speak, who are overseas, especially in Afghanistan, risking their lives each and every day. Some of you may have loved ones who are deployed there. Some of you may be about to be deployed there. And so we know that it’s not easy. But what we also want you to know is that you have the entire country behind you, and that all of us understand that we would be nowhere without the extraordinary service that you guys provide," the president said.

Afghanistan may be weighing on Obama at the moment since he's facing a decision soon about the pace of U.S. troop drawdowns in that country between now and the end of 2014, when the president has pledged to bring American involvement in combat operations to a close. There are currently about 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

On Monday night, Obama made a series of holiday phone calls to military servicemembers around the globe, a White House official said.

Obama and his family flew to Hawaii Friday night for their customary winter vacation in the state. The White House announced Tuesday that the president plans to fly back to Washington overnight on Wednesday night to resume discussions with Congressional leaders about averting the so-called fiscal cliff.

Obama's family is expected remain in Hawaii until Jan. 6. It's unclear if he will rejoin them.